A Promise Between Us
by Kiwasaki-chan3
Summary: (Canon Diverge) Riku and Sora have always considered themselves best friends. When a once defeated member of Organization XIII comes to Destiny Islands, things begin to change for the two of them.
1. Prelude

Prelude: Ten Years Ago

Destiny Islands, a World made up of an endless ocean with three islands. The main island was filled with a town, housing a nice sized populace for the World. The next island is a bit smaller, being mainly a beach with several trees. The last one, a much smaller island often being considered a miniature island by the town inhabitants, was connected to the smaller island by a bridge and was home to a lone crooked Paopu Tree. No matter where one went they were sure to be surrounded by yellow sand.

During one twilight evening in the summer, four boys happened to be playing on the small beach of the main island. The self proclaimed leader of the group was a boy with silver hair and aqua eyes. He had pale skin, quite strange when the boy had lived on an island. He was the age of five though he was quite small for his size. Another child in the group was a dirty blond boy with stormy blue eyes. His skin was sun-kissed, showing his love for the outdoors. A four year old with a love of swimming, it was a rare occasion for him to just be on the beach. The next boy was a brunet with wild spikes going in every which way and that. His bright blue eyes were bright with his happiness and his skin was a light tan. The boy was also four and he was quite happy to be with his best friends. The last one was a boy with bright orange hair set in a coif and brown eyes. His skin tone was a light brown being a little darker than the brunet. He was five years of age and was only younger than the silver haired boy by a couple of months.

The four kids were building a sandcastle together, hoping to make it big enough for them to play inside of it. They had been playing for hours, getting the walls to be the size of the orange haired boy with the silver haired boy standing on his shoulders. The brunet and the blond were busy making a moat. Between digging the moat around the spot where their castle would be and carrying water over, the two had their hands full. They had already been there for most of the day, leaving their homes after lunch. Hours went by and they found themselves being out during the sunset.

Finally, it was finished. The blond was the first to walk in with the biggest grin his face could muster. Stormy blue eyes grew bright in happiness as the walls were much bigger than he was. His small voice called for his friends and was shocked that there was a small echo in there. His friends had really outdone themselves with such a thing. He did a small twirl, enjoying the room he had to play in.

The brunet went in next, almost falling off the plank of wood that was supposed to be the bridge. He gave a giggle before running next to the blond. The two gave each other a hug, beckoning for the older boys to come in. The shock of how big the castle was on the inside did not phase him one bit, most likely because it was his idea in the first place. Though he couldn't hide his smile or the immense happiness that he felt in general.

The orange haired boy went in, being careful not to fall into the moat. His brown eyes took in the sight of the castle being much bigger than they were and nodded in pride. He ran a hand across the left wall, glad it was sturdy. Maybe next time, they could make a bigger castle and be able to make multiple rooms. It would be a project that would take a while for them to finish, but it was worth seeing the younger two smile like this again. Their happiness and smiles came before anything else in his mind.

The silver haired boy grabbed a camera out of his backpack, debating whether he should join them. Just getting a picture of those three would be enough for him after all the work he put in to make this huge castle of sand. Silver locks flew around his face as he shook his head. The brunet would be upset if he didn't decide to go in there with them. So with camera in hand, not sure if he could even get a picture in the place, he walked in. His lips curved upwards into a smile hearing the soft giggles of his friends.

Though the four boys could fit in their castle, there wasn't much room to move at all. So the silver haired boy left out first since he was the closest to the entrance. The brunet followed after him, actually slipping into the moat this time. He came up out of the water and shook it out of his hair. The older boy helped him out and hugged him tight, not caring if his clothes got wet in the process. A small hint of pink could be seen on his pale face.

The blond pulled the orange haired boy out, giving a small "aw" seeing his friends hug. Little things like that always got him, especially between those two. He looked back at the other boy and decided to hug him tightly. If he had his way, they would all be together for the rest of their lives.

With all the hugs out the way, they were able to get a few pictures in before the sun fully went down. It was late, much too late for young children like themselves to be out on the beach like this. So they started packing up their things and grabbing their backpacks. Smiles still present on their face, because a day like this could never be forgotten.

The orange haired boy and the blond left first, holding each other's hands tightly. They took the eastern road, it was closer to the blond's house. With a final look back, they waved at their friends with smiles wider than when they left. However, once their friends were out of view, the smiles died down.

"Hey Tidus," the orange haired boy looked at the smaller boy.

"What's up, Wakka?" Tidus, the blond, bit down on his right thumb nail.

"We're always going to be together right?" Wakka looked back in hopes to see the other two.

"Course we are. You, me, Sora, and Riku. We're always gonna' be together and best friends at that too," Tidus grinned.

With that, Wakka slowly got over a small worry that was in the back of his mind. He stopped looking back for the brunet and silver haired boy, concentrating on getting Tidus back home. They would always be friends and more importantly, they would always be together.

Back at the castle, the brunet was waiting impatiently for the silver haired boy so they could go. He tapped his foot against the sand, finding the sound of his sandal against the sand to be a bit annoying. It was getting much too late to be out there still, and he was not going to be happy when his parents would ground him over it. However, he knew that he couldn't leave his best friend behind.

The silver haired boy was looking for something in his bag, something that was important to him. He had made sure to pack it and even sat it underneath some of his clothes. Oh wait...he didn't check underneath his jean shorts for it. That probably should have been the first place to check. With triumph, he brought out the yellow star shaped fruit known as the Paopu Fruit. He almost broke it in half before he saw the impatient look on his best friend. He took it as a sign to pick up his bag and start the walk back to town.

"What's wrong, Sora?" he asked as he grabbed the younger boy's hand.

"I'm not talking to you all weekend if I get in trouble for being late, Riku," Sora gave a childish glare.

"But I'm staying over for the weekend so how do you plan on not talking to me?" Riku tilted his head.

Sora only stuck out his tongue and continued the walk. His big blue eyes staring straight ahead and noticed how far the sun had started to set. He shouldn't get in trouble, it was too dark outside just yet. Though he could just blame Riku for how late they were, since it was his fault. No, that wouldn't be fair.

The sandy beaches gave way to a cobblestone road and houses. People were busy making their way from one place to another, none paying attention to the two young boys walking. It was sunset and it was that time for everyone to be going home to their families.

"Wait, Sora," Riku stopped walking.

"Huh? What is it?" Sora blinked before tiltinf his head to the left.

"I want to give you something," Riku said with the slightest of blush on his cheeks.

Sora looked at him, blue eyes wider than normal. It wasn't often that his friend had something to give him, well more like be serious about giving him something. He turned to face his best friend seeing that the hand he wasn't holding was behind his back. Slowly, he watched his friend bring the weird yellow fruit into view.

"What's that?" Sora asked.

"It's a Paopu Fruit. Legends say that when two people share one their destinies become intertwined for eternity," Riku held it close to his heart.

"Are you gonna' share it with me?" Sora smiled.

"Of course with you. No one else but you," Riku gave a gentle smile and broke the Paopu Fruit in half.

He gave the other half to Sora and watched his friend's smile grow bigger. The blush on his cheeks grew as he took the boy's hand so that they could start walking again. This moment seemed so embarrassing to him and he couldn't figure out why. It didn't mean as much as the thought of being able to spend eternity with him. Yes he had plenty of friends, but Sora meant something entirely different and he would never be okay with them ever parting ways.

Sora happily allowed himself to be pulled by Riku. The Paopu Fruit in his hand was all he could currently think about as he didn't remember ever seeing the tree produce fruit. He had heard of the fruit and knew where the tree was, but the legend that Riku spoke of was something new. He didn't know what destiny was, but he knew that eternity was the same as forever. So this legend was probably saying something like they would be together forever and that was the happiest thing that he could think of.

"Hey Riku," Sora grinned as they came to his house.

"Yeah, what's up?" Riku answered.

"You're the wife if we get married, ya' know," Sora closed his eyes.

"What...why?!" Riku yelled, indignantly.

"Cuz' you look like a girl. You're only the wife if the legend is true though," Sora could only think about the idea of them always being together.

"Oh fine," Riku gave him a pretend pout.

Before Sora could open up the front door, he was hugged tightly by his best friend. He could only imagine what life would be like once they were married and hopefully they would be as happy as his parents. Well if anything, they would always have fun and make sand castles with all of their friends. He would make sure that Riku would always be happy and well taken care of.

A promise of marriage came from the splitting of the Paopu Fruit. Two destinies became intertwined once the two had ate it later on that night. A happy life was all that was expected, but happiness never came easily.


	2. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

 _ **Eleven Years Later**_

Years have passed since the two children had shared the Paopu Fruit together and so much had happened between them. Sora was recognized as the Keyblade Wielder of Light and Riku was the Keyblade Wielder of Twilight. In the last year and five months, the two boys had traveled to new Worlds and explored many new things in the wake.

Also within that time span of eleven years, a new girl came to island, a girl named Kairi. She had instantly became close to the two boys and became the reasoning for their first journey. They had risked their lives for this girl on more than one occasion and Sora had even stabbed himself with the Keyblade of People's Hearts to release her heart from his body.

It was from that instance, where Sora even became a Heartless, that two Nobodies were formed. Roxas and Namine. Roxas was the Nobody of Sora and lived a small life with other human-looking Nobodies called Organization XIII. Namine, however, was made prisoner by one member of the group and stayed in a World called Castle Oblivion for some time. They both were able to become one with their Somebodies two months ago. Neither Somebodies knew much of their Nobodies and even Riku knew the bare minimum from his experience with them.

This day, exactly six months after the downfall of Organization XIII, had Riku, Sora, and Kairi on the beaches of Destiny Island after school. All three were in their school uniforms and none of them were ready to return home to do their homework for the day. The three of them were usually together and today was no different than any other day or so one would think.

Riku wanted to get closer to Sora, not just physically but emotionally as well. However, Kairi was there and, as usual, Sora was showering her with attention and affection. It had been that way since they returned back to the Islands and it was a bit of a painful experience if he had to say anything about it. Aqua eyes rolled hearing the two whisper to each other.

Kairi was his friend, but Sora was the person he wanted to spend his life with. However, it felt like they had slowly started to become distant within the last couple of years. He assumed it was just because they were going through puberty or something of the sort. It didn't make sense why it seemed as if he was being replaced by Kairi, which shouldn't be the case. She was just a really close friend. Right? She couldn't possibly be more important than he was. That was highly ridiculous and he knew it had to be.

What else could it be? As much as he feels there had been a distancing from Sora and himself, it seemed Kairi got closer and that was where things got complicated. Sora treated her like she was the most important person in his life and he couldn't tell if that was the truth. The thought of that alone made his chest hurt, no his heart was in pain. How could he lose Sora? When did he start to lose Sora to Kairi? Too many questions, too many things coming to his head.

He took the time to excuse himself from the two, not wanting to distract them from each other. He could see it clearly now. Sora wanted to be with Kairi and who was he to deny him that chance. He couldn't continue to be around them, he needed to be as far away as possible. It hurt too much to even see them in such a position. He was just a third wheel after all. A third wheel to a couple he didn't know of until right then and there.

Sora watched as Riku walked off, heading back towards the town. He gave the slightest tilt to his head, an odd quirk that he wished he would stop. It seemed like ever since coming back, his best friend wanted nothing to do with him. It was probably his way of trying to get used to being back in a boring little World. Didn't mean that it didn't hurt or wasn't getting a bit annoying.

He didn't realize that he was still staring until Kairi grabbed one of his more prominent spikes in his hair. The face he made showed how much that really hurt. Bright blue eyes looked into the darker shade of blue of her eyes. The concern in her eyes was much like how he felt. Yet, he didn't know what to do about it. If Riku wanted to be alone, then they had to respect that no matter how much he didn't like the idea.

The sigh he let escape from his lips was an accident but it was just how he felt about the whole ordeal. This whole thing was a mess that he wanted to have resolved as quick as possible, though he knew how stubborn Riku could be about things. What happened to coming home and not dealing with problems did he miss out on?

"I wonder what's wrong with Riku?" Sora muttered out loud.

"It seems like something that he doesn't think we'll be able to handle it," Kairi gave her own sigh.

"Which is stupid. We're all friends, so we can handle anything and be there as the best support system ever," Sora crossed his arms over his chest.

"It may have something to do with the year he spent in the Darkness. You know he's pretty sensitive about that subject and refuses to talk about it," Kairi offered her own thoughts about it.

All they could do was guess about the problem with their friend. Though for some reason Sora felt like it was something entirely different from the Darkness. He didn't know what, but it just felt like there was another reason that Riku was actively avoiding them a lot. If he knew why, he would try his hardest to make it better.

Riku made his way to the home of Wakka, knowing that the orange haired teen and Tidus went straight there after school. It was the one place he knew that they all felt safe speaking at. With Tidus and Wakka having recently becoming a couple, it was pretty much their only safe haven besides Sora's house. Wakka's parents didn't make too much of a fuss about it since the two often studied there and had average grades. Sora's parents weren't too strict either, usually always ready to help give all the teens in the town some guidance when available. Kairi's adoptive father couldn't allow the teens over much as it messed with his political career. No one bothered with going to Selphie's house as she often just tagged with whomever was available. Tidus had a strict father that they didn't see much of anymore. Riku's parents were strict, in his opinion, strict enough to be considered abusive.

Iwalani, the red haired woman known as Wakka's mother, opened the door for the silver haired teen. Her brown eyes closed into a motherly smile as she moved out of the way. It was always a delight to have the kids over and it was quite hard to deny either of her sons the opportunity of spending time with their friends.

He muttered a small thanks and made his way up the stairs to her eldest son's room. He enjoyed Iwalani, she was quite motherly towards him and always had been. He just felt mentally drained from all his thoughts on his way there. More thoughts of being replaced, more scenes of what Sora and Kairi must have been doing without him being there. It was tiresome, it was painful.

Entering the last door to the left on the second floor, the first thing he caught sight of was Tidus sitting in the lap of Wakka in the middle of the floor. He only shook his head and closed the door behind him, quite used to the sight of the two of them. Stormy blue eyes locked onto the aqua orbs and Riku turned his head away.

"Could have told me that you were coming here, ya," Wakka moved their textbooks to the bed behind him.

"I thought that I would be spending time with Sora. As you see, that didn't go quite as planned and here I am," Riku sat down near the couple, hoping that the orange and yellow circular rug was clean.

"Glad we can be second choice," Tidus rolled his eyes.

"Sorry," Riku gave a forced chuckle.

Wakka tilted his head and looked at the slightly older teen in his room. This was very unlike the boy that he had grew up with. It was beyond rare for anyone to know that Riku wasn't feeling well in an emotional sense, but for him to be forcing things out in an obvious manner wasn't good sign either. He moved the energetic blond off his lap to move closer to the silver haired boy. His brown eyes were half closed and showed a look of concern that rivaled his mother's own look.

If he really thought about it, this was most likely something to do with Sora. Anything that dealt with Riku usually had something to do with Sora and vice versa. The only question had to be what was the problem now. So many things had happened once they returned two months ago, that he couldn't keep up with most of it. Though, from what he could tell, Sora was mostly oblivious to most of the problems that he caused. That caused more problems than what was already there.

"What did Sora do this time?" Wakka asked.

"I'm pretty sure that he's replaced me with Kairi," Riku pushed his hair behind his ear.

"That's impossible!" Tidus stood up.

"I don't think so. He's always spending time with her and smiling like he's infatuated with her. Even when we're together, it feels like there's this rift between us, one that can never be closed," Riku stared into the stormy blue eyes.

It wasn't often that one could get Tidus to be quiet outside of being in the classroom, but it seemed that Riku's situation was able to do such a thing. It was quite painful for the ever energetic blond to think about. If it had ever come to a point in time where he felt like Wakka had replaced him for anyone, he would go into a depressive state. At least, that was what he thought would happen. It could have been much different in reality than whatever his mind thought would go on.

So he made his way to the silver haired boy and took the opportunity to sit in his lap. Not wanting to think about being depressed or anyone he knew being depressed, he placed a fake smile on his face. After having to practice it for so long, it resembled his real smile.

"I doubt that's the case," Tidus ran his fingers through the silk-like silver locks.

"You're not seeing it like I am," Riku's face had a deadpanned look.

The look in Tidus's eyes could almost betray the smile that he forced upon his face. He was ready to keep denying the idea that Sora had replaced Riku and would continue to do so for as long as he could manage. There was no way possible that the brunet that they grew up with could do such a thing. Unless he started doing such a thing unconsciously. If it was something like that, it could have just been by accident or even just the paranoid thoughts from Riku.

"The Paopu Fruit...didn't you guys share it together?" Wakka asked.

"A destiny to always be intertwined, it's most likely a legend never to come true," Riku sighed.

"You can't say it isn't meant to come true. Just because it hasn't happened yet, doesn't mean that it will never happen, ya," Wakka leaned back so that he could lay on the floor.

Riku shot him a look, one that basically said what he was saying was a load of crap. This was the time where romance happened. Teenagers, two teenagers that had been through a lot for and with each other. If that wasn't cause enough for love to happen, then what else could he do? Their promise seemed to be nonexistent to the boy that he was in love with and the promise came with the Paopu Fruit. If that legend wasn't true, then neither was their promise.

Slowly he began to pet Tidus's head, something the blond had enjoyed ever since they were kids. He could feel tears starting to swell up in his eyes as he continued to think about not being Sora. Tears, crying, all of that were things that he kept hidden away for his own good. No matter how hurt he was, he had no reason to be crying in his mind. So he willed them away and decided that maybe they should switch conversations.

"Were you helping Tidus with his homework?" Riku asked.

Sensing the diversion, Wakka only smiled softly before saying, "Yeah. He's starting to get C's in Math and if he fails the next test, he's definitely going to have a D."

"It's always Math with you," Riku shook his head.

"Math is hard, algebra sucks hard," Tidus stuck out his tongue.

"Algebra is easy. Just wait until you're actually in high school, it gets progressively worse, right Wakka." Riku smiled.

Wakka smiled as well, though he wasn't too sure if Riku was giving a real smile or a fake one. He knew that Tidus was giving off a fake one, after being around him for so long it was quite easy to tell. The talk about school work was probably something much easier to speak about then the thoughts going through the silver haired boy's mind. Well if he ever wanted to talk about it, the orange haired teen would be patient and wait for him. No point in trying to rush it out.

"You know, Riku, you could always tutor me," Tidus dropped his happy tone for one more seductive.

"Or you could stop failing all on your own," Riku gave the slightest tilt to the right with his head.

"Not as fun," Tidus moved off the older boy.

Riku gave an honest smile, one that looked much like the little boy that they both remembered. Tidus was a little flirt, a hyperactive flirt with a knack of getting what he wanted from people. It wasn't unusual for the blond to flirt with his older friend, so Wakka often looked passed it. After all, they all had been friends for as long as they could remember and well, Riku was quite the attractive one.

A dark portal had appeared within Wakka's room causing Riku's eyes to go wide. The sound a Corridor of Darkness made when opening had caught his attention. The only ones that should have been able to open such a thing were the Nobodies and Maleficent. In a total of five seconds, he was on his feet ready to combat whatever was willing to come out of the Darkness.

What he hadn't expected was a mass of red hair to be the first thing he noticed. The black coat of the Organization was the next thing, which made everything click faster. Way to the Dawn was quickly summoned in hopes to make this a fast and easy fight.

"Hostile as always. Good to know that you haven't changed since we last saw each other," this voice confirmed everything that Riku was thinking.

The lithe frame, bright sea-green eyes, and fair skin. This was Axel, Number VIII of Organization XIII, and a supposed to be defeated Nobody. Having only interacted with the Nobody twice, he couldn't understand why he was there, not to mention how he came back.

"I don't know how you came back to life, but I swear that I will send you back to where you belong," Riku narrowed his eyes and got into his fighting stance.

"Calm down. I'm here on some peaceful orders, no need for us to be fighting after all," Axel held his hands up.

"Riku, what's happening?" Wakka stood up to protect Tidus.

"Remember when Sora and I were gone from the islands? Well we were fighting guys like him, so just stay back," Riku looked over at Wakka.

Wakka looked at the red haired male in his room. Enemy? Had this guy done something to Riku and Sora during their time away? The idea of anyone harming his friends greatly upset him and he was ready to grab his beach ball. Though he knew better than to try. Riku had a special weapon and it was quite plausible that this guy could only be harmed by it, much like the monsters that had appeared the night they had disappeared.

Axel ran a hand through his hair, not expecting all this to happen. This was supposed to be a simple get in and get out mission, but of course he would be dealing with the hostile Keyblade Wielder. To think, this mission was supposed to be a certain music lover's. This would have to be the last time he agreed to switch missions with the little water user.

"Again, I'm not here to fight anyone, Riku," Axel let out a sigh.

"Then why are you here?" Riku tightened his grip on Way to the Dawn.

"I'm here to take you to someone you'll be very interested in meeting or seeing again. A simple come get you and be on my way," Axel grinned.

"Why should I trust you? Last I remember, you and your little group tried to have me killed."

"Well, considering if it weren't for me, you wouldn't have had your little reunion with Sora at our homebase."

Riku made a tut sound after hearing that. Sora had said that Axel not only help him with the lower Nobodies but made the Corridor to Darkness that allowed him to get to the Castle That Never Was. Though that was only one instance of trust that was made. Then again, he was the reason Axel was able to do such a thing in the first place, having let him go free with the promise of looking after Namine.

He thought about what Sora would do in this situation. No doubt about it, he would listen to the Nobody and even potentially go with him. It would mean keeping everyone safe after all. That was Sora, always looking out for the well being of others before himself. It was probably even the best idea at the moment. With Wakka and Tidus here, there was no telling what could happen. He wouldn't endanger his friends or Wakka's family even more than just having Axel here.

"Why does this person want me?" Riku asked.

"Well, it's' because he's in love with you, got it memorized," Axel tapped his temple.

"You lie," the skip to his heart made Riku feel just a tad bit uncomfortable.

"Yes I lie because Nobodies don't have hearts and therefore can't feel anything. Heard this whole thing before, you know. I would like you to know that I am more inclined to believe when a Nobody says that they love someone compared to when a normal human does. There's a better chance that they actually mean it instead of just saying it," Axel shrugged.

Nobodies couldn't feel anything, no matter what Axel tried to spin together. Though the thought of someone being in love with him was a feeling he couldn't deny he wanted. It was also a curious affair as to who would have fallen for him. It wasn't like the other person actually did love him, it was most likely just a memory of an emotion that was projected onto the boy.

"Look, Riku, I really don't care if you come with me quietly or not. You, however, care about the wellbeing of everyone here and you know quite well that I will do whatever I can to get you there," Axel summoned his chakrams to his hands.

"That's quite low, even for you," Riku growled.

Honestly. it was a bluff. Axel really had no need to harm anyone and really couldn't do such a thing. He just wanted to get through this as fast as possible so he could return to the castle. It wasn't exactly the easiest thing to do and if this worked, well it made things a little bit easier. He probably looked like a hypocrite or a liar, but it was really a last resort.

Riku growled low in his throat. He knew it! For the safety of Wakka and Tidus, he would have to leave with the redheaded Nobody. Fear wasn't the best way to describe the way that he felt. Fear, anger, disappointment, and curiosity. They all swam around in his head, showing in his eyes.

Way to Dawn was desummoned with a sigh. He tried to harden his eyes, the only way to keep his emotions to himself. Slowly, his feet made their way over to the redhead and he tried hard to keep up his resolve to make sure his friends would be safe. His hands were tightened into fists at his sides.

"You'll be much happier where you're going, Riku," Axel said softly.

"If anything happens to my friends…" Riku glared at Axel.

"I can promise you, nothing will happen. My promise doesn't exactly mean anything to you, no heart and all. But I can put it on the love I have with Roxas, that no harm will come to them," Axel opened a Corridor of Darkness.

With one glance to his friends, the silver haired boy walked through the dark portal. Axel may not have been believable, but the love that Roxas had for the Nobody was. They weren't going to be hurt, and he'd be damned if the Nobodies came to back. He would destroy them all again, alone if need be.

Sora was sitting on his bed, attempting to do his homework. He wasn't sure why but he was feeling something strange on the islands. Strange was too vague of a word to use when describing this. It was more like an ominous feeling like when Heartless attacked the islands. The sun was setting and the sky seemed to look perfectly normal to him. There was no way that something bad could be happening anytime soon. Not when the Worlds were safe because of him.

Though the sight of Roxas was enough to make him think otherwise. His Other didn't often try to project his consciousness outside of their shared body, so it must have been something he could considered necessary. The two sets of blue eyes met each other and in an instant, Sora's feelings became worries. Roxas crossed his arms over his chest and the small movement made his body flicker a bit.

What could have been targeting Destiny Islands again? The door to the World's Heart was safe so there shouldn't have been a threat of Heartless. He and Riku had defeated the Nobodies, well Organization XIII. Was there a new enemy coming to them? To think that he thought that he could hang up being a Keyblade Wielder for a while. He just wanted to be a normal teenager for a while, but of course that wish was useless.

Terrified that his friends could be in danger again, Sora was ready to run straight out of the house. Did he care that he may have to fight while wearing his school uniform? Not at all. The only thing that did matter was protecting his home properly this time. Well at least he would have Riku by his side. There was nothing that could stop the two of them once they teamed up together.

Though, looking at Roxas, it seemed as if running outside wasn't the best course of action. It wasn't like he had time to debate whether or not he should do something about this. It was possible that the blond knew something more than what he did. Which meant he would have to listen to the boy for a small while. Hopefully, he wasn't long winded about this. There was still a World in danger and potentially all of the Worlds.

"So what's up, Roxas?" Sora asked.

"Someone from Organization XIII came here," Roxas ran his hand through his hair.

"That's impossible. Riku and I destroyed them," Sora's eyes widened.

"My thoughts exactly. Someone survived it seems and they came here. A few minutes later, they were gone again. I can't tell you who they are or what they wanted," Roxas looked directly into Sora's eyes.

Sora bit down on his right thumb nail. Organization XIII had a survivor? Who could it possibly be and what threat could they pose? Why had they come here and was everyone okay?

It was frustrating to Roxas to know that someone was there and he couldn't tell who. After all the time he spent with them, all the memories he got back, he would have thought that he knew. There weren't any signature auras he could tell from, Zexion could tell each Nobody by their unique "scents." If he was able to be taught how to do that, then he would have learned as fast as he could.

The look on his Somebody's face let Roxas know that it wasn't as bad as it may seem. Right, he had went months without realizing that he had a Nobody inside of him. They were hard to detect, and the more humanoid ones-like himself- without their cloaks would be hard to distinguish. So it all boiled down to either knowing what Light and Darkness felt like (thus being able to know what it felt like for them to be together) or recognizing a Corridor of Darkness, which was unreliable thanks to Riku and Maleficent both knowing how to use them. Well Riku did know how to use them, before he regained his body.

A sigh came from both of their lips, something that startled them both. It wasn't often that they had the same thoughts. Roxas's baby blue eyes gave off a small piece of hope as Sora's bright blue eyes gave a glint of worry. The two shared a thought of who it could have been on the islands. For Roxas, it meant that there was a possibility that Axel had returned. For Sora, it could only mean that they were in trouble.

The two left the comforts of the small bedroom and ran down the stairs. With Organization XIII having a surviving member, Riku had to know about it. Sora grabbed his black and yellow shoes before heading out the front door. Once outside, the cooler temperature hit the brunet with full force. This wasn't like before, he couldn't just expect something to come after him.

At least that was how his thoughts were going. A Corridor of Darkness appeared in front of him causing much alarm. Roxas had stopped projecting his consciousness outside of his body by the time they reached the bottom of the stairs thus leaving him confused on what was going on.

Once again, Axel had returned to Destiny Island, this time on a more personal mission. Sea green eyes caught the eyes of the bright blue brunet staring straight at him. Well he wasn't expecting to see the little Keyblade Wielder already. Seeing him already ended up throwing off everything he had planned on doing.

Sora couldn't find it in him to blink at the sudden appearance of the Corridor of Darkness. Upon Axel appearing, his body refused to move so that he could summon his Keyblade. Axel had died in front of him, he used his entire being to destroy a bunch of lesser Nobodies. So how was he here? How was it that he survived such a thing? Granted, he would rather it be the redhead that was close to his own Nobody as compared to the rest of the Organization, but it was still quite questionable.

He could feel Roxas stirring inside of him. From the way it felt, the blond was happy to know that the redhead was alright. It's not like he could blame him for it after all. It would be the same reaction if Riku had gone away for so long. This was probably one of the happiest moments of his life and Sora would hate for him to not to be able to fully experience it.

When the blond decided to reappear beside the brunet, Axel's eyes grew wide. It was strange to think that a Nobody could do such a thing with their Somebody. Or maybe it was because they were a special case. Slowly, he reached out a gloved hand to touch his favorite little Nobody, only for his hand to go right through him. Things just kept getting stranger the more he was on this island.

"Roxas!" Axel couldn't hide his smile.

"You died...how are you…?" Roxas shook his head in disbelief.

"Who knows. I died, was trapped in a void of darkness for a while, and then woke up in Radiant Gardens," Axel shrugged his shoulders. "More importantly how can I see you?"

Roxas only shook his head, not wanting to answer the question at hand. He wanted to know why another member of Organization XIII was alive. What memories he had from his time in the Organization, he wasn't too sure if he could trust them. He loved Axel, he was always willing to admit to that, but the redhead made it hard to believe in him. And what if Axel wasn't the only one?

Sora ran his hand through his hair looking at the redhead in question. He had seen the Nobody in question fade away into the Darkness. They even had a full conversation before that happened. He was ready to fight if he needed to and well, it wasn't like he could fully trust this man.

"You don't seem to be too happy that I'm here, Sora," Axel purred at the brunet.

"Why would I want to see a Nobody?" Sora rolled his eyes.

"I understand. We're not exactly on the best of terms with you killing us and all," Axel shook his head.

"Why are you here?" Sora was ready to attack the redhead.

"I came to see Roxas, well it would be a lie to say that I was expecting this," the Nobody looked over to the blond.

Roxas's eyes grew wide. There was something strange about all of this. He had felt a Nobody on the Islands before and now all of a sudden Axel was here. This didn't make much sense, unless the entire Organization was back from wherever they went when being destroyed. If it were possible for him to summon his Keyblade like this, he would have.

He looked at Sora, the look within them showed a bit of worry. If there was a chance that multiple Nobodies had come to the islands, they would have to fight. It also meant that Axel was still a part of them. That was something that, while he was prepared for, he didn't want to deal with.

Sora summoned the Kingdom Key, already understanding Roxas's thought process. He did not want to have to go against the Organization again, even months later he found it to be annoying. They were difficult to deal with, especially on his own.

"Hey, hey, I mean no harm. What's with you guys and wanting to hurt me?" Axel held up his hands.

"With you guys?" Sora asked.

"You and Riku. I come here in peace and the two of you want to attack me," the redhead shook his head.

"Riku...why did you go to him?!" Sora yelled.

"Now wouldn't you like to know?"Axel smirked.

Sora quickly grew tired of the redhead's talking. There was no reason to continue listening to all this and it didn't seem like he was going to get any answers anytime soon.

Roxas placed his hand on his Other's and shook his head. He hadn't expected to have his emotions affect the brunet this quick. Then again, he became a bit more carefree and happy since coming together with his Other.

"Sora!"

The brunet turned his head as he heard his name being called. With two quick blinks, he noticed Wakka and Tidus running towards him. For what reason were those two coming to him? Wait...did they know something about Riku? Inside himself, he could feel more rage building up. If Axel did something to Riku…

"Gah, Wakka, it's that guy again!" Tidus pointed at Axel.

"Guess he's after Sora too," Wakka ran in front his younger friend.

"We're so not letting you get to Sora. You may have taken Riku away, but Sora is ours," Tidus stood right beside Wakka.

"Were you two really not paying attention? Riku came with me of his own free will to see the person that's in love with him," Axel sighed, shaking his head.

"Came of his own free will my foot. You threatened us!"

Sora tried following the conversation as best as he could. Axel took Riku away to someone that was in love with him? Yet, it seemed as if Riku didn't want to go so Axel threatened the lives of Tidus and Wakka. So those two most likely came here to warn him about what had happened and were instead shocked with the appearance of the redhead being here. That seemed about as plausible as he was going to make this sound.

Putting two and two together, he figured that the presence that Roxas had felt earlier was that of Axel coming to get Riku. His face held the worry that he was feeling. What kind of trap was his best friend walking into?

"Where did you take Riku?" Sora pointed his Keyblade at the Nobody.

"With someone who will love and appreciate him," Axel shrugged.

"That's not answering my question at all. Where is he?" Sora tried hard not to yell.

"I told you, with someone that loves and appreciates him. Though I will give you a small hint 0n that, he's with someone from Organization XIII," the smirk on Axel's face held a mischievous light.

Before Sora could move, Axel opened up another Corridor of Darkness and walked into it. The brunet sighed and fell to his knees, the Keyblade being desummoned. His blue eyes held a look of despair as he realize that his best friend was gone and he had no idea where he was to go. Organization XIII was back and his best friend was with them.

Tidus stared at where Axel had disappeared from. His jaw had dropped and he rubbed at his eyes. Something strange was going on, a bit too strange for his comforts, but that was life lately. Biting down on his bottom lip, he looked back at Sora and hoped the boy had the same thoughts going through his mind. They would get Riku back. If they had to find a way to get to wherever that strange redhead had came from, then they would.


End file.
